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For up-to-date information on North Carolina licenses, regulations and other wildlife resources, please visit the agency’s website NCWildlife.org.
RALEIGH, N.C. (Sept. 24, 2010) – The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will implement delayed-harvest regulations on 22 trout waters in 15 western North Carolina counties on Oct. 1. Before Oct. 1, hatchery-supported regulations apply to these waters.
Under delayed-harvest regulations, no trout can be harvested or possessed from these waters between Oct. 1, 2010, and one half-hour after sunset on June 3, 2011. No natural bait is allowed, and anglers can fish only with single-hook, artificial lures. An artificial lure is defined as a fishing lure that neither contains nor has been treated with any substance that attracts fish by the sense of taste or smell.
Continued drought conditions in western North Carolina may result in reducing the number of trout scheduled for stocking in delayed-harvest trout waters in October. Staff will be assessing all the delayed-harvest waters from now until Oct. 1 to determine if reduced stockings are necessary.
“All streams will receive stockings at the beginning of October; however, we may have to reduce the number of fish stocked because of the low water levels due to the drought,” said Kyle Briggs, fisheries program manager with the Commission. “If there are any reductions, those fish will be stocked as soon conditions improve.”
Delayed-harvest waters are:
Ashe County Trout Lake Helton Creek (Virginia state line to New River)
Burke County Jacob Fork (Shinny Creek to lower South Mountains State Park boundary)
Caldwell County Wilson Creek (game land portion below Lost Cove Creek to Phillips Branch)
Haywood County West Fork Pigeon River (Queen Creek to the first game land boundary upstream of Lake Logan)
Henderson County North Fork Mills River (game land portion below the Hendersonville watershed dam)
Jackson County Tuckasegee River (N.C. 107 bridge at Love Field to the Dillsboro dam)
Macon County Nantahala River (Whiteoak Creek to Nantahala hydropower discharge canal)
Madison County Big Laurel Creek (N.C. 208 bridge to the U.S. 25-70 bridge) Shelton Laurel Creek (N.C. 208 bridge at Belva to the confluence with Big Laurel Creek)
McDowell County Curtis Creek (game land portion downstream of the U.S. Forest Service boundary at Deep Branch) Mill Creek (U.S. 70 bridge to I-40 bridge — also classified as Mountain Heritage Trout Waters, please refer to the Commission’s Regulations Digest for additional information)
Mitchell County Cane Creek (N.C. 226 bridge to N.C. 80 bridge — also classified as Mountain Heritage Trout Waters, please refer to the Commission’s Regulations Digest for additional information) North Toe River (U.S. 19E bridge to N.C. 226 bridge — also classified as Mountain Heritage Trout Waters, please refer to the Commission’s Regulations Digest for additional information)
Polk County Green River (Fishtop Falls Access Area to the confluence with Cove Creek)
Surry County Mitchell River (0.6 mile upstream of the end of S.R. 1333 to the S.R. 1330 bridge below Kapps Mill Dam)
Transylvania County East Fork French Broad River (Glady Fork to French Broad River) Little River (confluence of Lake Dense to 100 yards downstream of Hooker Falls)
Watauga County Watauga River (adjacent to intersection of S.R. 1557 and S.R. 1558 to N.C. 105 bridge and S.R. 1114 bridge to N.C. 194 bridge at Valle Crucis)
Wilkes County East Prong Roaring River (mouth of Bullhead Creek downstream to Stone Mountain State Park boundary line) Stone Mountain Creek (from falls at Alleghany County line to confluence with East Prong Roaring River and Bullhead Creek) Reddies River (Town of North Wilkesboro water intake dam to confluence with Yadkin River)
For more information on delayed-harvest regulations, weekly stocking updates, or trout fishing maps, visit www.ncwildlife.org/fishing.